OF SELBORNE. 97 



I need not remind a gentleman of your extensive 

 reading: of the excellent account there is from Mr. Der- 



doubled back upon itself in the mouth, and the apex, which is broad, is 

 imbued with a most tenacious mucus. On seeing an insect, the animal 

 fixes its beautiful eyes upon it, leans or creeps forward, and when within 

 reach, the tongue is projected upon the insect, and again returned into the 

 mouth with the captive prey, by a motion so rapid, that without the most 

 careful observation the action cannot be followed. An insect is never taken 

 unless when in motion ; and I have often seen a toad remain motionless 

 for some minutes, with its eyes fixed upon an insect, and the instant it 

 moved, it disappeared with the quickness of lightningl- The insect is 

 swallowed whole, and alive; and I have often seen the reptile much 

 incommoded by the struggles of its imprisoned prey, particularly if it 

 consist of large and hard insects, as full grown cockroaches for instance, 

 when the twitching of its sides, from the irritation produced by the 

 movements of the insects in the stomach, is sufficiently ludicrous. T. B. 



My ingenious friend, the late George Newenham, Esq., of Summer Hjll, 

 Cork, carried a live toad with him from Edinburgh, which he kept at his 

 country seat of Summer Hill for several years, where it became quite 

 tame, in the same way as that mentioned by White. The most amusing 

 feat which it performed was the swallowing of a worm, which it seemed 

 to relish highly, and was eager to master in proportion to the difficulty 

 presented by the writhings of the creature. The spring before I was at 

 Summer Hill, this singular pet had not made its appearance from its 

 unknown winter retreat, and consequently was supposed to have died, as 

 it was not likely to wander from a spot with which it had become so 

 familiar. 



Mr. Husenbeth has given a very interesting account of a tame toad 

 which he placed " in a large glass jar, with moss at the bottom and some- 

 times water enough to saturate the moss, but oftener with only a piece of 

 green sod, which I changed," he says, " when the grass began to 

 wither. Sometimes I contrived to let him have a little well of water in 

 the sod ; but I never saw him go into water freely ; only when he was 

 frightened, he would plunge in and bury his head at the bottom under 

 the sod. Whether he ever knew me, I much doubt; but certainly he 

 was always perfectly tame, and would sit on my hand, let me stroke 

 him, and walk about my table or carpet with apparent familiarity and 

 contentment. I usually let him out on the table every day; and he 

 would jump down upon the carpet, and hop and crawl about, always 

 making for the skirting-board, which he climbed very ludicrously, and 

 seemed fond of sitting in a corner on the top of it. He ate freely, 

 from the first day I had him ; but would never take any thing unless he 

 saw it move. In the whole time, I gave him all the following varieties : 

 flies of all kinds ; wasps, and bees, first removing their stings ; gnats, 

 which he would snap up at the window, while I held him on my hand 

 up to the pane of glass, with an eagerness that appeared insatiable, and 

 was very amusing ; clap-baits, lady-birds, caddices, ants : of these last I 

 used occasionally to give him a treat, by bringing home part of a hillock, 



H 



